“He did it when I went to the toilet,” Kira recalled. “I was gone for about three minutes. When I returned, he looked tense, but I didn’t attach any importance to it.”
“So there’s a chance the cameras captured it. I’ll ask Daria to obtain these recordings officially, through a request.”
Gordey dialed a number, turned on speakerphone. After the third ring, a female voice answered:
“Saltykova speaking.”
“Daria, it’s Gordey Savitsky. I need your help. Urgently.”
“I’m listening carefully.”
Gordey briefly outlined the situation. Daria Saltykova listened silently, only occasionally asking clarifying questions. When he finished, she exhaled.
“This is attempted murder. If everything you say is confirmed, he faces eight to fifteen years. I need to meet with the victim, record testimony, obtain medical documents. When can she give testimony?”
“Right now,” Kira straightened up in bed. “I’m ready.”
“Good. I’ll be there in an hour. Gordey, prepare all the documents you have. And not a word to anyone. This case must remain confidential until the suspect is detained.”
“Understood.”
An hour later, a woman of about forty with short hair and a serious face entered the ward. Daria Saltykova introduced herself, showed her ID, and took out a voice recorder.
“Kira Lavrentieva, I am an investigator for the country’s Investigative Committee. Are you ready to testify regarding the attempt on your life?”
“Yes,” Kira replied firmly.
For the next two hours, she detailed everything that happened. Daria took notes, asked questions, clarified details. Then she studied the medical documents Anfisa provided and made copies of the analyses.
“The picture is convincing,” she said, putting the papers into a folder. “Now I need to get the restaurant camera recordings, pull up Pavel Lavrentiev’s financial documents, check his phone calls and correspondence. This will take a few days.”
“What about Olga Cherkasova?” asked Gordey. “Could she be an accomplice?”
“Possibly. But from the correspondence you showed me, it doesn’t follow that she knew about Pavel’s plans. Most likely, he used her in the dark. But I am obliged to interrogate her. Through her relatives—it will be safer. Larisa Cherkasova, her mother.”
Gordey leafed through his notes.
“44 years old, works as an accountant in a construction company. Lives with her daughter in a two-room apartment on the outskirts of the city.”
“I’ll talk to her tomorrow,” Daria stood up. “Kira, you need to stay here and not communicate with the outside world. No calls, no messages. Pavel must think you are dead. This will give us time to gather all the evidence.”
“What about the divorce?” asked Kira.
“We will file the documents through a representative. Pavel will receive the notification of the dissolution of the marriage only after we have collected a full package of evidence. This will throw him off balance, and he might make a mistake.”
Kira nodded. The plan was clear. Now all that remained was to wait and believe that everything would work out.
Three days later, Kira was able to get up and walk. Gordey picked her up from the clinic and brought her to his home. A spacious apartment in the city center with a minimalist interior. He led her to the guest room.
“Make yourself at home. You are safe here. My mother will come every day to check on your condition. And I’ll try not to disturb you.”
“Gordey,” Kira stopped him at the door. “Why are you doing all this? We are competitors. You could have just taken me to the hospital and forgotten about it.”
He turned to her:
“Because I can’t walk past when a person needs help. Yes, we are business competitors. But that doesn’t mean I’m an unfeeling bastard. Besides…” he hesitated. “I’ve always respected you. For your honesty, for your professionalism. And it hurts me to see what you had to go through.”
Kira felt tears welling up in her eyes.
“Thank you. I will never forget this.”
Gordey nodded and left, quietly closing the door behind him. Kira remained alone. She went to the window and looked at the city bathed in evening lights. Somewhere out there, in hers and Pavel’s apartment, her husband was living calmly, believing he had gotten rid of her forever. But he was mistaken. Soon he would realize what a monstrous mistake he had made.
Meanwhile, Daria Saltykova met with Larisa Cherkasova in a small cafe on the outskirts of the city. The woman arrived anxious, not understanding why the investigator needed her.
“Are you from the police?” she asked, sitting opposite the investigator. “What happened? Is my Olya in trouble?”
“I am from the Investigative Committee. Your daughter is not in trouble,” Daria replied calmly, showing her service ID. “But she may become a witness in a criminal case. I need to ask you a few questions about Pavel Lavrentiev.”
Larisa turned pale.
“I knew something was wrong with that guy. I told Olga, but she won’t listen. She fell in love like a fool. He promises her mountains of gold, but he’s married. I checked.”
“What exactly does he promise?”
“An apartment, a business. Says he’ll divorce his wife soon, and they’ll live together. Olga believes him. But I see that he’s lying. Men like that always lie.”
Daria took out a photograph of Kira.
“Do you know this woman?”
Larisa shook her head.
“Never seen her.”
“This is Pavel’s wife. Three days ago, he tried to kill her. Poisoned her and left her to die in the woods.”
Larisa pressed her hand to her mouth, her eyes widening in horror.
“God! And so? She…”
“She is alive. She was saved. We are currently gathering evidence to bring Pavel to criminal responsibility. Your daughter can help the investigation. I need her correspondence with Pavel, her testimony about what he promised her.”
“She didn’t know,” Larisa said quickly. “Olya didn’t know he was planning to kill his wife. She’s just a lovestruck fool who believed fairytales.”
“I understand. And if she gives voluntary testimony, that will be taken into account. She is not an accomplice, she is a victim of his manipulations. But her testimony will help establish the motive for the crime.”
Larisa thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Alright. I’ll talk to her. She needs to know the truth. And she will testify.”
Olga Cherkasova sat in the kitchen looking at her mother with frightened eyes. Her face was pale, her hands were trembling. Larisa had just told her everything she learned from Investigator Saltykova. That Pavel tried to kill his wife. That everything he promised Olga was built on blood and lies.
“No,” the girl whispered. “That can’t be. Pasha isn’t capable of that. He loves me. He promised.”
“He promised you an apartment and a business with the money he would get after his wife’s death,” Larisa said harshly. “Do you understand what that means? He used you. You were his motive, the reason to kill another person.”
Olga burst into tears, burying her face in her hands. Larisa hugged her daughter by the shoulders, pressing her close.
“I’m a fool,” sobbed Olga. “I’m such a fool. How could I believe it?”
“You’re not a fool. You just fell in love with a scoundrel who knows how to lie beautifully. But now you have a chance to fix everything. The investigator is asking for your help. Your testimony will help put him in prison…”
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